Travel
Looming Government Shutdown: Here’s How Air Travel And More Would Be Affected
Topline
A government shutdown will go into effect Saturday at 12:01 a.m. unless lawmakers are able to unify around a stopgap bill—which seems increasingly less likely—and it could impact everything from travel to social security during the holiday season.
The Capitol in Washington, is framed by early morning clouds, March 19, 2024.
Key Facts
Air travel: Air traffic controllers and workers in the Transportation Security Administration are deemed essential, meaning they are still supposed to work during a shutdown—though they aren’t being paid until the funding situation is resolved, which has led to longer lines and airport slowdowns in past shutdowns.
A TSA spokesperson told USA Today Friday a shutdown wouldn’t impact operations greatly, noting that 59,000 of the organization’s 62,000 employees are essential and would continue to work without pay—but they warned “an extended shutdown could mean longer wait times at airports.”
Bureau of prisons: Like TSA workers, bureau of prisons workers are deemed essential and would have to go to work despite not getting paid until the shutdown ends, something Brandy Moore-White, the president of the largest federal employee union, told ABC News would be “absolutely devastating” back in September 2023 when there was a potential, but averted, shutdown.
U.S. military: Pentagon press secretary Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder said Thursday that because much of the military is also essential personnel, troops in the U.S. and abroad would still have to report for duty but would not receive paychecks and other personnel who are deemed unessential to immediate operations would be furloughed, the Associated Press reported.
National Parks: A contingency plan from the National Parks Service shared in March when there was risk of a shutdown stated “the majority of National Park sites will be closed completely to public access” during a shutdown and areas that are “physically accessible to the public will face significantly reduced visitor services.”
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What Is A Government Shutdown?
A government shutdown occurs when Congress has not passed the necessary 12 appropriation bills for the next fiscal year. During a shutdown, federal agencies “must discontinue all non-essential discretionary functions until new funding legislation is passed and signed into law,” though essential services and mandatory spending programs continue, according to the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget.
Why Might There Be A Government Shutdown Now?
Congress hasn’t passed any of its 12 appropriations bills for next fiscal year’s budget. Earlier this week, Republicans made progress on a potential stopgap bill that would have avoided a government shutdown, but President-elect Donald Trump said Wednesday he opposed the bill and demanded a more hard-line bill with fewer concessions to Democrats. On Thursday, the House rejected a bill endorsed by Trump that would have kept the government funded until March 14 and suspended the debt ceiling for two years, something Trump said was a priority for him.
What Has Trump Said About A Potential Shutdown?
Trump said on Truth Social Friday he’s okay with a government shutdown—as long as it’s under President Joe Biden and not him. “If there is going to be a shutdown of government, let it begin now, under the Biden Administration, not after January 20th, under ‘TRUMP.’ This is a Biden problem to solve, but if Republicans can help solve it, they will!” he wrote Friday morning. On Wednesday when he announced his opposition to the bill that was set to help avoid a shutdown, Trump called on Republicans to “get smart and tough” and he encouraged them to call the Democrats’ “bluff” of allowing a shutdown.
Surprising Fact
Betting markets are getting involved in the potential shutdown. On Polymarket, nearly $2 million has been bet on whether there will be a shutdown—with bettors estimating a 49% chance as of Friday just before noon.
What To Watch For
Whether lawmakers are able to unify and pass a stopgap bill that could keep the government open through the holidays.
Big Number
34. That’s how many days the longest government shutdown—which ran from Dec. 21, 2018, to Jan. 25, 2019—lasted. There have been 20 government shutdowns that have lasted for at least one full day since 1977, according to a history of the House.
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